By JOANNA TWEEDY
Published: 12:25 EDT, 19 March 2025 | Updated: 12:32 EDT, 19 March 2025
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have finally returned from nine gruelling months spent on the International Space Station (ISS) - but their most difficult journey yet may be still ahead.
Humans who've spent time in space, including Britain's first ever astronaut Dr Helen Sharman, have reported experiencing a phenomenon that they say changes their lives forever.
While the complex physical health issues that astronauts might experience when they re-enter Earth's atmosphere are well documented, the impact their adventures in space have on the rest of their lives is much less widely reported.
Known as 'overview effect', it's a term coined in the late 80s but known about since the first years of space travel to describe how astronauts returning to Earth are often unable to view their everyday lives in the same way as they did before.
Those who experienced it include some of the most famous names in space history, including Yuri Gagarin, Michael Collins and Sally Ride - and say only fellow astronauts can truly know what it feels like.
Dr Sharman, who was 27 when she made history on May 18th, 1991 as the first British astronaut to go into space, as part of the Soyuz TM-12 mission, says her own short eight-day mission completely 'reset' how she viewed her home life.
The Imperial College London academic told MailOnline: 'After I returned to Earth, I realised that what I had not once thought about in space was the material things that I owned or aspired to own.
'It was my family, friends and colleagues living in places I could see as I looked down on Earth who I remembered. Being in space reset my life priorities, and that has remained with me ever since.'
Tough journey still ahead: NASA astronaut Suni Williams is helped out of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as she arrives back on earth after nine months on March 19th
Williams fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore (pictured) has suffered physical symptoms during his exile in space - but the 'overview effect', where returning astronauts struggle with mental health after being in space, could now kick in
The term 'overview effect' was first coined in the late 80s but has been a phenomenon reported by some of the most famous humans in space, as they struggle to adapt to normal life once more. Pictured Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore pictured stranded at the International Space Station before their return
Canadian astronaut Robert 'Bob' Thirsk now regularly speaks about the huge impact his two stints in space have had on what he values in life at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor in Florida.
The retired astronaut says he no longer cares for politics, particularly on a local level, because it feels insignificant when you've seen the Earth from so far away.
The 71-year-old says his wife still tells him that his head 'is still in space' because of the major impact that the trips had on him. Family and friends can feel alienated, he says, by the extraordinary shared experiences astronauts have with their fellow space explorers, feeling like they can't ever match them.
He also says the 'overview effect' has left him hugely concerned for the planet, and that his main message now is preserving it for future generations.
Dr Sharman say that seeing our planet from so far away can evoke different feelings when people return home.
She says: 'For some, seeing the bright Earth against the backdrop of the vast expanse of black space can increase our awareness of the fragility of Earth; for others it is more a sense of attachment - after all, Earth is where all known life exists.
'I remember how obviously interconnected everything seemed: swirls of plankton in ocean currents, flashes of lightning that appear to set off flurries of other flashes many miles away, and rivers crossing numerous borders before they disgorge into the sea.'
Suni Williams with her husband Michael before her journey to ISS - returning to Earth can spark life changes, says Britain's first astronaut Dr Helen Sharman
Canadian astronaut Robert 'Bob' Thirsk now regularly speaks about the impact his two stints in space have had on his life at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor in Florida
Dr Sharman, who was 27 when she went to made history as the first British astronaut to go into space says she 'reset' how she viewed life upon her return
The Canadian astronaut, now 71, says his wife tells him he left his head in space and is frank about how the shared experience with his fellow astronauts can alienate friends and family
The Sheffield-raised retired astronaut also discussed the process Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are currently in as they adapt to life back on Earth.
Dr Sharman said: 'Normal life resumes in a controlled and gentle way for astronauts, especially those who have spent many months in space.
'We see the Earth-returners being pulled out of the spacecraft and they disappear from public view for a while, but after the initial medicals and other checks, there will be weeks of debriefings of one sort or another, managed time with friends and family (and pets), and monitored physical exercise.
Gradually, the astronauts become more self-determining. But we never forget the amazing views from orbit.'